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Bristol Post
Bristol Post
Sport
James Piercy

Bristol Rovers fans are all saying the same thing about Antony Evans' new contract

The Bristol Rovers admin would have slept soundly last night after days upon weeks of Antony Evans-related irritation that every piece of content, slice of information or promotional post has been followed with variations of "sign the ting".

Of course, it's all part of the fun and although supporters' anxiety and concern was real, that one of their key individuals from last season could walk for nothing - a viewpoint no doubt shared at times within the corridors of power at the Mem - it did create a sense of drama around "the decision".

Twenty six days after manager Joey Barton had indicated that the clock was ticking on the Everton academy graduate to make the call, he was confirmed as a Gas player under an agreement that lasts until 2025. It's a significant home run for the club, and one that proved the perfect end to a sunny Tuesday in Bristol.

It's hard to recall exactly when a player's decision had kept the fanbase hanging in such a manner - Jonson Clarke-Harris and Tom Lockyer are two cursory examples but both eventual departures also had a sense of inevitability about them - Evans felt genuinely 50/50 throughout the process.

That sense of uncertainly obviously then helped fuel the reaction among Gasheads - which you can see below, including some reaction from the man himself and Nick Anderton - as the club have retained a deeply talented playmaker who's both scorer and creator and, at 23 with not that many senior appearances under his belt in relative terms, still has plenty of space to hit his ceiling.

On Bristol Live's Facebook page, the sentiment was much the same with jubilation and confidence in what is still to come for the club.

Kevin Sweet: "3 years that's faith in the player and stability for him. Let's hope it works for everyone concerned."

Stephen Foulkes: "Fantastic news!! Finley and Evans unbeatable midfield. UTG"

Seb Hurcombe: "Massive, massive news done early so we aren't hanging around all summer waiting, only to be told he's off for more cash and we then need to scrabble about looking for someone with half his talent."

Richard Nicholls: "Great news ..we need all the talent we can get in league 1 ..so many big clubs with bigger spending power UTG."

Simon Bryan: "Barton would have no doubt told Evans what players will be walking through the door very soon. Here comes the recruitment drive."

Mark Carter: "Brilliant news, can only see him improve."

Wayne Dempsey: "Top man, 3 years is ace. If he has an outstanding season we could make a lot of money. Those 12 month contracts was costing us at times."

Stuart Price: "Very good from Barton to get him on a 3 year if he flys next season could make a lot of money on him."

Isaac Knighting-Ferntree: "Now the rest will follow..."

Mark Dowling: "Amazing news, amazing player. Goods times ahead."

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